Campion Academy hosts the annual Music Festival March 23-25 during which academy, public school, and homeschool students from all over Rocky Mountain Conference gather for 2 days of music instruction and concerts.

Clinicians Yves Clouzet, Music Department Director at Campion Academy, Jonathan Wall, Director of Choral Studies at Southwestern Adventist University, and Leandro Bizama, Director of Music at Mile High Academy, will direct string orchestra, choir, and band ensembles this year.

Dan Philpott began teaching Campion’s woodworking classes 9 years ago, and students are turning out more impressive work than ever. The 23 students enrolled in this semester’s class completed lathe work, glued projects, and computer-aided engraving.

In a consumer-oriented society, enabling students to work with their hands and their imaginations is more important than ever. Woodworking class does exactly that, and Philpott works alongside students to help them create their designs.

A recent visit to Campion’s shop revealed nearly every student busy with some task, whether it was sanding a wooden bowl on a lathe, cutting wood on a band saw, using a computer to set the parameters for a CNC project, or spraying varnish on a finished piece.

Most students complete at least 5 or 6 projects and incorporate any number of woodworking techniques such as finger-jointed corners, which sophomore Tommy Eickmann used to create a small chest.

Sophomores Emanuel Espino and David Marroquin both completed about a dozen projects each, varying from wooden pens to checker boards. Their enthusiasm hinged on their creative license. The freedom to choose his own projects is also what Cesar Lowrance likes the best. “We can be as creative as we want and can make whatever we want,” he said.

When Philpott began teaching the class in 2006, the shop contained a ban saw and a drill press. With his continued management, the shop now boasts over $20,000 worth of machines, including various lathes, sanders, saws, and finishing materials.

The latest addition to the woodshop’s array of machines is a computerized numeric control (CNC) engraving machine, which allows the students to manipulate an image or text using the machine’s software, and then set parameters that guide a drill bit to cut or engrave the image in wood.

Sophomore Hannah Phelps said, “Using your imagination, you can really make about anything in this class.” Her classmate Devaney Bright agreed. As they both watched the CNC machine cut shapes of the continents out of a piece of cherry wood, Bright described projects she has made for her mom and her current inlaid map project. “I like learning how to use tools that I wouldn’t have gotten a chance to otherwise,” she added. Both she and Phelps are planning on taking welding class from Mr. Philpott next semester.

“I want the students to feel comfortable in a shop setting, use different machines, and work with their hands,” he said. Campion—and Dan Philpott—value hands-on education that provides students with skills they can use now and in the future. Philpott hopes students will walk away with the skills and confidence to tackle future projects and household fixes themselves.

Stephen Johnson, who has prior woodworking experience with his dad and grandpa, has spent about a month working on a wooden bowl. He said, “My favorite thing about the class is just making stuff and working with your hands.”

Senior Steven Reinke thinks woodworking class is "more fun because it’s more interactive.” Here he finishes a pen on the lathe.

Steve Eickmann happily receives the camera from film producer Mark Comberiate, one of the workshop instructors.

Southern Adventist University’s film department provided a 2-day filmmaking workshop for 16 Campion students October 4-5, donating a Panasonic HVX200 video camera and providing instruction on how to use it. These students spent time planning projects, filming, editing, and and finally screening their work to an enthusiastic audience on Monday evening.

Kast knew that SAU’s film department was planning on retiring some of their cameras, and he suggested Campion Academy as a recipient. The idea of donating the camera morphed into the idea of holding a workshop, and 16 available spots were filled almost immediately.

Kast, now a senior film major at SAU, credits his high school English class as the place he first discovered he could tell stories through film. “It encouraged me to do what I wanted to do, and that was film.” Now he is paying it forward to Campion students who attended the workshop. “I hope that it gives the students a taste of how fun and important filmmaking can be,” he said.

Freshman Ethan Gueck, who has always been interested in film, signed up for the workshop in order to expand his skills. “I’ve been wanting to do more professional projects, and I was able to learn how to use a higher quality camera and a more advanced editing program,” he said. Junior Jose Castro, on the other hand, had never thought about getting into filmmaking. He admitted, “Now it’s something I might look into for college.”

Gueck’s documentary team created a film about their classmate Himanshu Bhantana’s experience in the recent Nepal earthquake. Castro’s group filmed Principal Don Reeder’s story about overcoming challenges as a boys’ dean.

David George, whose recent work includes directing the photography for the feature-length film Old Fashioned, was very pleased with the success of the workshop. “I hope that [the students] saw the power of story, whether it takes the written form, or is conveyed through sound or picture. Story is powerful. After all, what is the Bible mostly comprised of? I also hope that they see that filmmaking isn’t out of reach.”

These Campion students now have the ability to continue learning how to create inspirational and promotional films, which is exactly what Campion technology director Steve Eickmann was hoping for. “We want as many kids as possible to get the experience of working with the camera and using it to create positive messages.”

Campion students planned, filmed, and edited short documentary films in less than 24 hours.